Correlations from two different, cross-sectional studies using measures
of masculinity and
femininity and marital satisfaction (MS). Idea: is there a relation between
MS and either of
these personality variables?

In these cross-sectional studies there does appear
to be a relation between femininity and
satisfaction for both husbands and wives. (The "Partner" column refers
to using the other
spouse's F or M score. Is Jim's MS predictable from Mary's Femininity;
on row one, the
r = .33 indicates this is so.)

The circles illustrate a common problem in this
area of research: self-report measures often
overlap with one another. When this is the case (overlap) it is necessary
to control statistically
for this overlap. Usually, the control for 3 reduces the correlation
between 1 and 2. In the example
the correlation drops slightly from .28 to .22 between husbands' MS
and wives' femininity.